Quintero Medina's appointment is a signal of how important the bid is to Medellin, the second-largest city in Colombia.

He is the private secretary to the city's Mayor, Anibal Gaviria, and has stood in for him in the past. 

Quintero Medina was also preveiously Secretary for Productivity in the Government of Antioquia, one of Colombia's 32 departments where Medellin is located.

Before that, he was chief executive of Tecnova, a technology company. 

Medellin is one of six candidates for the Youth Olympics and faces Buenos Aires, Glasgow, Guadalajara, Poznan and Rotterdam.

It is seen as a serious candidate after successfully hosting the 2010 South American Games and already has several of the facilities needed in the Atanasio Girardot complex.

"Having the best South American Games in history is our best letter of introduction, because they were the best in histor from the organisational point of view," said Gaviria.

"That shows this city can be a positive dynamic platform for these Youth Olympic Games."

Among the new venues that will be built if Medellin is successful is a velodrome, Gaviria announced.

"We will do what we can to make our bid successful," he said.

Another important factor in its bid is that Colombia's Sports Minister Andres Botero Phiillipsbourne is a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and also from Medellin.

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